Product Description

Studio: Arts Alliance America Release Date: 02/26/2008

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16797 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-04-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.com
Think of Scotland, PA. as truck-stop Shakespeare, Macbeth given a drive-through makeover as the deadliest of deadpan comedies. Writer-director Billy Morrissette got this wacky idea from an early job at Dairy Queen. He makes the most of that bad memory by casting his own wife (ER's Maura Tierney) and indie stalwart James LeGros as Pat and Mac McBeth, a married pair of Pennsylvanian schemers, circa 1973, who plot to escape their thankless jobs at Duncan's burger joint. They dispatch Duncan in a sizzling accident (you want fries with that corpse?) and inherit the diner from Duncan's stoner son (who's also a suspect), hoping to prove to Detective McDuff (Christopher Walken, at his funniest) that their newfound happiness is entirely legal. Like The Big Lebowski, this movie's hilarious if you're in on the joke, and familiarity with Shakespeare is optional when you've got a "rock block" of Bad Company hits to keep the grisly comedy on track. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

McMacbeth
As an English teacher who has taught Macbeth to bored students for year after year after year, I love Shakespeare, but could never get most of my kids beyond the "OH NO! SHAKESPEARE!" attitude. This is the film that could do it, if only I could show it in class. I can't, unfortunately, because of the very liberal use of profanity (about every fourth word is the f-word). For myself, however, the film was an absolute joy. It is set in 1970s Pennsylvania, and the power struggle is over a fast food joint, not a country. The film script follows the original script relatively closely, but with a wink and a nod, and tongue firmly in cheek. The first half is hysterically funny, especially for those who know Macbeth and can pick up on the sly references (Witches' Brew Beer! A food fight that sets up Joe McBeth as Duncan's favorite!). The murder of Duncan is particularly strange and funny. The second half gets progressively darker, and the suspense starts to really pick up. Maura Tierney is amazingly on target as (Lady)Pat McBeth, although Joe McBeth (James LeGros) is played as kind of stupid. Christopher Walken is typically sly and strange as Detective McDuff. I also enjoyed the perceptive (but brief) interview with the writer/director in the Afterthoughts section of the extras on the DVD. I just find this film to be a wonderful example of why Shakespeare is the greatest writer of all time; 11th century Scotland or 1970s McBurgerland, this story of ambition and madness remains the same at heart.

You want Fries with that dagger ?
A clever retelling of the tragedy of MacBeth. Rather than being the loyal vassal to the King of Scotland he is the dedicated sort-order cook for the workaholic restaurant proprietor, Norm Duncan. Inevitably Joe's wife decided that the time is now for these "underachievers who need to make up for lost time". After the tragic and mysterious death of the owner, the couple is able to buy the place at a discount from the dead man's sons. Once ensconced as the owners they make a stunning number of changes including big red arches, a drive-thru, and little fried chicken pieces (called little chicken MacBeths). It all seems so perfect until the details start to unravel. A policeman named MacDuff is investigating the murder of Duncan, MacBeth's best friend starts asking questions about where the couple was the night of the murder, and Mrs. Macbeth develops an obsession with a grease burn she got on her hand.

This was a movie well worth the money. It was funny from one end to the other. It reminded me of the comment that Kissinger once said about academia "The Politics are especially vicious because the stakes are so small". In this film we see that even the smallest kingdom is sometimes worth fighting for.

Hillarious retelling of Shakespeare's MacBeth
The indie film Scotland PA, is a fantastic retelling of MacBeth as a black comedy set at a fast food restaurant in the 1970's. Full of laughs, wonderful actors and great music, this film should satisfy just about anyone, not just the indie film crowd.

What is particularly great about it is how it sticks close to the original story of William Shakespeare's MacBeth. Well, as close as it can being set in the 70's. Instead of a husband and wife team plotting to take over the throne, the McBeth's in Scotland PA (which stands for the small town of Scotland in Pennsylvania) take over a greasy fast-food restaurant to turn it into the first drive-through in existence. You can already tell it's great fodder for dark comedy.

The story has big laughs at every twist of the plot. Some fall flat, but most are laugh-out-loud funny. But what's even better is the great characterizations the film's cast brings out. Christopher Walken is fantastic as the detective McDuff assigned to solving the murders in town. The McBeth's are also portrayed wonderfully, but all the supporting cast are equally as interesting and three-dimensional. Now that's rare, even in well-produced black comedies.

Scotland PA should be checked out by anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humor, if not owned as a permanent part of their DVD collection. I highly recommend it.